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3.14.2012

Cocky...

Sometimes I have bursts of productivity that have me feeling like I'm on a roll and I get cocky. One quick bout of craftiness or an organizational sweep and I con myself into thinking (briefly) that I'll cross off a good chunk of my endless to-do list, while running the house like a well-oiled machine.

It started with the kiddos' arts and crafts drawer

which used to look like this:

Over the weekend I finally tackled this messy drawer, which took on a life of its own some time after Christmas. Using some dollar store bins to corral their supplies and a lot of purging, this was pretty light work. Now that the kids know where everything they use and put away lives, perhaps they'll keep it neat for a day or two.

Feeling accomplished, I decided to get crafty on Saturday night (exciting, I know) and make a birthday banner for Eamon and some St. Patrick's Day decorations for the kids.

This may or may not have been fueled by wine. Either way it almost ended with my computer crashing while trying to download 101 Dalmatian images from the Internet. I probably should have taken that as a sign, but I kept going.

On Monday, my house was tidy, dinner was a breeze and my ducks were in a row. I had three loads of laundry under my belt, and I was feeling pretty invincible, so I decided to tackle the sewing project that I've been wanting to work on for a year now. Bolster pillows for our couch.

Three days and a big mess later, here we are.

Pretty, right?

Not so pretty. Between sewing projects, I tend to forget my Achilles heel. Math.

The remnants of the hurricane that was my creative burst:

All that laundry still needs to be put away.

along with the breakfast dishes (and a few from last night)

and a stray Christmas decoration.

My flowers are dead.

Oh and the bathroom needs to be finished.

I had all these ideas about posts for the next week or two which were based around some of these projects. But then I thought about how sometimes Blogland can make me feel a tad insecure. Sometimes, I wonder how so many of these talented women whose blogs I read get it all done. The truth is while some of them undoubtedly do, I'm sure many of them don't. After reading Emily A. Clark's post about her real life vs. her styled life a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd fess up.

I might have gotten a bit cocky, but I'm almost always real, so welcome to my mess. You're a lot more likely to see what my home looks like if I show it as is, than if I wait for my projects to be finished!

I don't think anyone's home ever really looks like it does in our blog photos. Sure, maybe that one room looks de-clutterred and styled, but there are probably piles of stuff in all the other rooms! Thanks for keeping it real. My sink looks like that most days too.

Oh, Erin, I am so feeling the love today! :) I know EXACTLY what you mean... It is so easy for me to reveal ONLY the successful projects, the neat and tidy and so-beautifully-staged snippets for the camera! I want to keep it real; but I admit, it is hard for me to blog about the projects that didn't make it-- like my burlap faux roman shade that is now hanging in my GARAGE! :(

Oh, I laughed and laughed and laughed at your photos. Not because I was mocking you, but because it brought me such joy to see someone else with the same problems as me and OWNING UP TO IT! It's like when we used to laugh at Seinfeld because we could SO relate to it! Thank you for a good laugh and a little bit of "It's okay!"

Jen, you just had me laughing at the Seinfeld analogy. So true! I honestly looked around my house, got overwhelmed but the disaster, laughed and stopped what I was doing to take pictures. Every day life is so different than the way I'd like it to be some days! I know I can't be alone!

AWESOME! I felt like I was looking at my own house. And my own false starts. I think you know that I can TOTALLY relate to this! There are so many projects I've started (or dreamed up) that have never been finished. That wind up in the trash. Or GoodWill. My intentions are great. My follow-through? Not so much. These past two weeks we've actually accomplished a few things I've wanted to do FOREVER and I am finally starting to want to invite REAL people over. Consider this your formal invitation. Wanna come over for dinner? Bring along your bolster pillow though. I don't think I'll have my chair cushions done by then. ;)

Welcome

I am a lifelong home and design-lover prone to spontaneously rearranging furniture and obsessing over paint swatches. An English teacher-turned-stay-at-home-mom, I'm contemplating what's around the corner for me as my little kids become bigger ones.

Out on a Limb is my grown-up space to explore my thoughts and indulge in my love for writing and design. Join me as I go out on a limb and try something new.